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Apple neutered ad blockers in Safari, but unlike Chrome, users didn't say a thing
ZDNet ^ | September 21, 2019 | By Catalin Campinu

Posted on 09/24/2019 8:06:14 AM PDT by Swordmaker

On the other hand, everyone was busy blasting Google for a similar plan in Chrome.


There's been much said about Google's supposed plans to limit the power of ad blockers in Chrome, but something similar has already happened in Safari, and not that many people have noticed, let alone criticize Apple.

Over the course of the last year and a half, Apple has effectively neutered ad blockers in Safari, something that Google has been heavily criticized all this year.

But unlike Google, Apple never received any flak, and came out of the whole process with a reputation of caring about users' privacy, rather than attempting to "neuter ad blockers." The reasons may be Apple's smaller userbase, the fact that changes rolled out across years instead of months, and the fact that Apple doesn't rely on ads for its profits, meaning there was no ulterior motive behind its ecosystem changes.

APP EXTENSIONS AND CONTENT BLOCKER

For Apple users, it all started a few years back when the company announced App Extensions, a mechanism through which apps could extend their functionality into other apps.

Apple said that App Extensions would work in tandem with Content Blocker, a mechanism introduced in iOS 9, in 2013. Basically, apps or app extensions can use the Content Blocker API tell Safari what to block based on a set of rules before rendering a web page.

(Excerpt) Read more at zdnet.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: adblockers; applepinglist; security
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To: Albion Wilde
Please read post 18 and 19. Here is an example of what a good item by item script blocker can do for you. Note that everything can be read as text, and most images do render, but 11 hidden scripts have been blocked and can be toggled on only as needed. The video in this is off and blocked by default and will not play unless I turn on the one "Videohub" script. Videos are where they inject crap you don't want, so use discretion when turning them on.

But even then the other 10 are still blocked. 3rd party API connections and cookies are the real problem and hidden aspect in this whole program. I have hit sites that had up to 40 of these scripts totally unnecessary in rendering the site as functional and viewable.


21 posted on 09/24/2019 10:39:39 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Albion Wilde

The point is, with this set up you have “line item veto” options. Most other browsers and blockers will only give you the option to block it all or none, which can render the site completely unusable. FF with NoScript gives you the option to block all but just the one needed if you like.


22 posted on 09/24/2019 10:54:26 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Swordmaker
"POSSIBLE APPLE FUD ARTICLE BASED ON TIMING ALONE PING!"

Not sure what you mean by that (I despise Tim Cook but have been a Mac user since 1989), but I only saw this article today.

Also, you focus on the start of this reported process by Apple 1.5 years ago, but ignored this:

Starting this week, with the release of iOS 13, Apple ditched the old Safari Extensions Gallery for good, and officially announced it was deprecating legacy extensions. Currently, Safari users can't install any legacy extension at all, regardless if it's hosted on the Safari Extensions Gallery or not, or if they're using iOS or macOS.

I have not upgraded to OS 13 as I have a 2012 Mac & have been told it will run a lot slower in OS 13; perhaps others here who see no changes to their ad blocking in Safari also have not yet upgraded...

23 posted on 09/24/2019 11:03:09 AM PDT by BTerclinger (MAGA)
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To: BTerclinger

Linux...


24 posted on 09/24/2019 11:39:42 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Openurmind

Thank you for that information. I will try to learn it.

I am not techie, so this denial of consumer options has really bugged me. I was used to turning UBlock on and off as needed. Hate these imposed learning curves. It was preferable for me to have slower loading without all the ads. Now some sites are almost unreadable, covered with popups, popiins, popdowns and popovers. I have blocked my camera, but was unaware that they were accessing microphone. Does that mean if you are idly playing a computer game with the sound turned off while you are chatting on your wire line, they can digitally access and datamine your conversation? Horrible!


25 posted on 09/24/2019 11:47:08 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it. --Douglas MacArthur)
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To: Albion Wilde
I use Brave on my desktop. Really like it. It blocks "autoplay" on videos when you load a web site, and also blocks trackers.

There are some sites, like Amazon videos, where you have to install a plug in to play videos.

26 posted on 09/24/2019 11:50:46 AM PDT by Richard Kimball (WWG1WGA)
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To: Openurmind

Still have that info, thx. Just not up to it yet.


27 posted on 09/24/2019 12:15:40 PM PDT by BTerclinger (MAGA)
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To: Albion Wilde

Yes, unless you have a defense against it, they are all accessing your location, camera, and mic, just like phone apps do. Facebook, Google, and Youtube are the worst about this. As a webmaster and developer I can testify from the other end that they can gather more than the normal person would think they can gather. Thank god many smaller domains are honorable and respect their users like the Free Republic. The “scripts” that are out there should be criminal.

Recently, Firefox and Brave were the only ones who stood against a universal “certification or denial” attempt to spy on everyone. And while Brave is very good, They do not give you the option I shared. With Brave, (the last time I used it) the only option was to completely block all scripts or accept all scripts from a domain and page. It does not give you the option to line item veto as needed.

So I suggest as an average user, the safest bet is Firefox (questionable) with the Ghostery ad blocker and the NoScript plugins. The later makes mozilla firefox honest whether they like it or not. Like I say, Brave is good but this particular combination I use has served me very well for quite awhile now because of the line item veto. Because I have to be very cautious, as a developer I have to be very careful what follows me into the backend of my customer’s domain website admin panels. I have the passwords to about 200 different websites as of now.

Firefox+Ghostery+NoScript is the ticket.

Just make sure it is not a “want be NoScript” There are many with a similar name but they are not. Both are available through the FF addon search. The icon for the correct one will be what you see above in my toolbar in the screenshot I shared. The angry red “do not enter” icon. :)


28 posted on 09/24/2019 12:20:38 PM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Swordmaker
I highly recommend pi-hole. It is a free, open-source network-wide adblocker that runs on a Raspberry Pi (or any Linux system). I have it set up at home, and any device that connects to my WiFi (or hardwired) is automatically protected from Ads and bad hombre sites. This includes cell phones, tablets, PS4, XBOX, Windows machines... everything!

Pi-Hole link

29 posted on 09/24/2019 12:36:05 PM PDT by adaven
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To: Albion Wilde

One more thing... If you go this route, there is one more priceless tool you might want to consider that works very well. Also addon “Video DownloadHelper 7.3.7”. It lets you copy and save any video you view. Just because of this one tool I have a start to end copy of the Christchurch shooting and many more videos that are now controlled information or have been scrubbed from the net.


30 posted on 09/24/2019 12:39:14 PM PDT by Openurmind
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To: adaven

Absolutely, for anyone who is techy enough to set that up on their router I highly recommend it.


31 posted on 09/24/2019 12:40:46 PM PDT by Openurmind
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To: softengine

Brave is a great browser.

It’s by the guy that created Firefox. He was pressured out of his company because he was not sufficiently PC.

So he created a full-fledged ad-killing, no track, machine.

It’s can work with Tor, is not quite as anonymous, but is more functional.


32 posted on 09/24/2019 12:46:07 PM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem)
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To: Albion Wilde

One more thing, You DO NOT have to make a Firefox account to make all these work. They are fishing in that aspect and don’t fall for it. It’s not required to take advantage of these features. They all work without an account registered. :)


33 posted on 09/24/2019 1:07:18 PM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Jewbacca

I like Brave, The guy who started it was let go by Mozilla because of his political beliefs. The problem I have is that they don’t give you more options to control your own stuff. It is whitelist or blacklist when there is actually a gray area in between that might allow you to still render a compromise.

Then I started digging into the staff behind Brave and their “connections”. I am not so sure their interests can be fully trusted as claimed. A couple are Bilderbergers and we know the global drive behind that mess.

Just like Firefox who is tied into the Globalist “Ford Foundation” we are screwed no matter where we go with this. The best we can do is minimize damage and try to control it as best we can personally.


34 posted on 09/24/2019 1:19:06 PM PDT by Openurmind
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To: DaxtonBrown

Brave works well for me. They continue to build it while taking feedback from users.


35 posted on 09/24/2019 10:42:12 PM PDT by The Westerner (Protect the most vulnerable: get the government out of medicine, education and our forests.)
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To: Openurmind

Fascinating info. I was chatting about romper room one day last week. When I logged into twitter and checked to see what “interests” they added to my data, the word “romper” was there! Additionally, after lurking on youtube, interests related to what I had viewed showed up on twitter! Creepy as hell but clued me in to data sharing among tech giants.

For my business, I can’t have conversations mined for data. Instead of turning my iphone off completely, what do you suggest doing?

I appreciate the Robinson’s dedication to owning their own servers and platform more and more. Donation will be arriving soon.


36 posted on 09/24/2019 11:01:10 PM PDT by The Westerner (Protect the most vulnerable: get the government out of medicine, education and our forests)
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To: The Westerner

I honestly don’t know anything about the Iphones, I have never had one. But I do know that on android phones, and all smart phones, anytime the battery is in it you are vulnerable and/or being tracked.

If you have to use your phone for sensitive business, The closest you can get to being more secure is with an old style flip phone with no apps at all just for doing business. I’m still not sure how it can actually be completely secure anymore, even location is tracked on flip phones and they have a microphone.

Old school face to face meetings might be in order if it is that sensitive. See, they have gone off and ruined it for everyone, no longer is anything at all private or secure. Definitely not any phone calls for sure.


37 posted on 09/25/2019 7:27:18 AM PDT by Openurmind
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To: Swordmaker
13.1 update has essentially neutered the AdBlock plus on my ipad. Same website that I had watched 70+ episodes of a television with minimal ads, (1 redirect attempt), now it's a barrage of ads. After five minutes of f"ing around, I quit. Thanks Apple !

A work around is watching them via Firefox with NoScript and Ghostery which I have on my old Mac Mini. Instead of watching where ever I please on my ipad I'll sit in front of my Mac Mini. So yes, they have neutered Ad blocking . Disgusting ! The Firefox with NoScript and Ghostery = Smooth sailing.

Could probably do the same on a linux distro, which I will certainly look into. Apple has lost a formerly faithful customer of 10 years.

38 posted on 09/26/2019 8:19:00 AM PDT by csvset (tolerance becomes a crime when attached to evil)
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